A decade of support
As close as we are to the release of Windows 10, there are still some questions that remain. Microsoft seems to have answered one of the biggest ones by today officially committing to support Windows 10 for the next 10 years.
The Redmond software giant updated its support lifecycle page to reflect that mainstream support for Windows 10 will run until October 13, 2020, with an extended support phase that lasts until October 14, 2025.
Microsoft's support policy should put to rest fears that it would begin charging users a subscription fee to use Windows 10. That was the big "gotcha" some people were bracing for when it was first announced that Windows 10 would be a free upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users for the first year. However, all that really meant was that qualified users who didn't upgrade for free during the first year, they'd have to buy a Windows 10 license, pre-orders for which are already being taken at places like Newegg and Amazon.
Nevertheless, there was still concern that the transition to a Windows as a Service (WaaS) would one day mean a subscription cost, much like Office 365. Concerns were exacerbated when Microsoft's Tyer Myerson said that "once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device at no charge."
The "supported lifetime" disclaimer gave Microsoft an out if it wanted to suddenly charge a subscription. However, by committing to support the OS for 10 years, it seems like a subscription fee is something users will not need to worry about in the immediate future.
At the same time, there is a caveat -- users must keep their devices supported.
"Updates are cumulative, with each update built upon all of the updates that preceded it. A device needs to install the latest update to remain supported," Microsoft states in fine print. "Updates may include new features, fixes (security and/or non-security), or a combination of both. Not all features in an update will work on all devices. A device may not be able to receive updates if the device hardware is incompatible, lacking current drivers, or otherwise outside of the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s ('OEM') support period. Update availability may vary, for example by country, region, network connectivity, mobile operator (e.g., for cellular-capable devices), or hardware capabilities (including, e.g., free disk space)."
In related news, for better or worse Windows 10 Home users will not be able to disable automatic updates. Windows 10 Pro users will have up to 8 months to apply updates, after which they either need to install them or they won't receive any future ones.
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